Cameron arms trip restrictions anger political journalists

Dissatisfaction among lobby reporters over Middle East trip, despite access given to BBC's Frank Gardner

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah welcomes David Cameron in Jeddah. The BBC's political news editor Nick Robinson has criticised No 10 for restricting the number of reporters on the PM's Middle East trip. Photograph: Reuters

Downing Street's decision to restrict the number of reporters travelling with David Cameron as he tries to sell arms to the Middle East this week has prompted a series of complaints from Westminster journalists, with the BBC political editor, Nick Robinson, taking the unusual step of going on the record to echo dissatisfaction shared widely across the lobby.

No 10 granted access to Frank Gardner, the BBC security correspondent, who travelled with Cameron to the United Arab Emirates, prompting speculation that the prime minister's team are trying to secure better coverage by offering individual journalists scoops on trips abroad.

Westminster correspondents are routinely invited to travel on the prime minister's plane whenever the head of government goes abroad on official business – but were surprised to be told in the runup to the Middle East visit that it would not be possible to join him and that there would be little or no access for reporters prepared to travel independently.

Cameron arrives in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, as he seeks to advance arms deals and repair political relationships, on a short visit that No 10 made clear that there was little point reporters trying to follow. Lobby journalists – political reporters granted special access in Westminster and daily No 10 briefings – who were contemplating following him over from the UAE concluded they may struggle to clear immigration by the time his meetings were completed.

Much of the close-knit lobby community is reluctant to criticise No 10 in public, but Robinson told the Guardian that he believed Downing Street had gone too far, even if on this occasion a BBC colleague had benefited. He said: "There has always been a tension between politicians desire to control the media and political reporters need for access to those in power. For years No 10 has dreamed of stopping journalists travelling on prime ministerial trips. It is important that they remain just that – dreams."

Others lobby reporters argue these efforts to tightly manage the media agenda are symptomatic of more short-term political considerations, where an under-pressure No 10 is struggling amid accusations of policy drift and is reeling from its failure to close down running stories such as the Andrew Mitchell "plebgate" row. But the sensitive nature of the trip to Dubai and Riyadh, whose regimes are not used to explicit media criticism, also provides a cover for greater restraint.

Ironically, on this trip, Cameron has needed to be active on unrelated domestic issues, on Monday announcing an inquiry into whether a previous inquiry into allegations of the sexual abuse of children in care homes in north Wales "properly did its job". With an allegation that a senior Thatcher-era politician may have been involved in the abuse, the PM may have welcomed the opportunity to stay in touch with a wider section of the media.

But Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications, said this was a difficult situation "where there is a bit of right on both sides". He said if the clampdown on the Gulf trip was "a rare case" in which using pooled coverage was more appropriate it could be justified, but added: "If it is part of a broader strategy to limit numbers and cut the media out of access on trips, Nick and others might be more justified in their concerns."

Close observers of the prime minister also believe Cameron has become increasingly impatient about devoting a significant proportion of his time giving interviews while abroad, when so much of the resulting coverage is critical of him and unrelated to the trip itself. That reflects other developments that suggest his growing lack of enthusiasm for media engagement – the last of the supposedly "monthly" press conferences held by Cameron in fact happened last year.

Complicating the picture further is that Craig Oliver, the No 10 director of communications, appointed from the BBC to replace Andy Coulson, is not popular within the lobby itself, and many Westminster journalists believe that he too is under pressure to improve the PM's image. Few want to criticise Oliver publicly because he remains a potential source of news, but he is seen as focused on television, and in particular on the BBC's Six and Ten O'Clock news bulletins – with little appetite for regular jousting and building relationships with the rest of the press corps.

The result of bringing Gardner along was seen on Monday night's Ten O'Clock News programme when he filed a report towards the end of the evening bulletin which focused on Cameron's visit, his efforts to sell Typhoon jets, and human rights issues in the region. There was no off-topic questioning aired about the swirling allegations of child sex abuse in North Wales that may embroil a once-prominent Conservative politician.

When travelling abroad, the prime minister charters a plane, usually from British Airways or Virgin Atlantic, and places are typically provided for newspaper and broadcast journalists who buy an economy class ticket to sit at the back. Aside from Gardner, only a handful of reporters are travelling around with the PM on Monday and Tuesday. Their number comprises two wire journalists, including Joe Churcher, the chief political correspondent with the Press Association – and a BBC producer and camera person producing pictures to be shared by all broadcasters.

Bringing along the press pack guarantees coverage – broadcasters are usually promised an on-camera interview with the prime minister on the trip – while press are supposed to be kept busy with a regular supply of briefings to justify the time being spent out of the office by all concerned.

However, given the news dominating the headlines tends to be unrelated to the overseas trip in question, the focus of the media tends to be on domestic issues – and a pack mentality can emerge as reporters chose to converge on a single story.

No 10 sources indicated that it was not possible to hire a plane large enough to accommodate the media on the Gulf trip and because of the logistics of the visit, in particular its short duration and the number flights involved.

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